Means for maintaining oil pressure in high tension electric cables



' June 16, i931.

EMANUEL! 1,809,927 MEANS FOR MAINTAINING OIL PRESSURE IN HIGH TENSION ELECTRIC CABLES Original Filed Sept. 1, 15395 Inventor: Luigi Emomueii, by M142.

His Attorney.

Patented June 16, 1931 LUIGI EMANUELI, OF MILAN, ITALY, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETA ITALIANA PIRELLI, OI

MILAN, ITALY, A CQRPORATION OF ITALY MEANS FOR MAINTAINING OIL PRESSURE IN HIGH TENSION ELECTRIC CABLES Original application filed September 1, 1925, Sepial No. 53,930. Divided and this application filed September 19, 1927.

The present application is a division of my application, Serial No. 53,930, filed September 1, 1925.

Certain modern underground cables for high tension electric currents, comprise one in small amounts inside of the sheath as it very greatly reduces the effective insulation and is also liable to cause burn-outs. If air is kept out of the sheath the paper insulation may be reduced by approximately one-half with the additional advantage that the cable may be made smaller in diameter. It is also essential to prevent the escape of oil from the sheath. To attain these desirable features it is necessary that the sheath be made air and oil tight, that the sheath be filled with oil, that the insulation be fully impregnated with oil,

and that the oil be kept out of contact with the air. Another problem arises from the fact that in cables of the character indicated, changes of temperature due to the heating efle'ct of the current flowing in the conductor and to climatic changes, or both, (which under extreme conditions may amount to as much as 10 centigrade) cause expansion and contraction of the oil with the result of forcing it out of the sheath as the temperature rises and producing a suction or vacuum ef; fect therein as the temperature falls. In the latter case, unless there is a supply of oil instantly available voids will be formed within the sheath, which voids are commonly the places where failure of the insulation begins.

In the parent application of which this is a division, there are illustrated and described feeding and pressure reservoir arrangements for automatically taking careof the expansion and contraction of the oil and at the same time preventing access of air either to the interior of the cable sheath or to the insulating be seen that much Serial No. 220,334.

able capacity reservoirs intended for oil-filled underground electric cables and specifically to that type in which a pressure is maintained which is or may be substantially above that of the surrounding atmosphere. The object of my invention is to provide a reservoir of improved construction for use with high tension cables and one in which the danger of failure to properly'operate is reduced to a mmimum.

For what I believe to be novel and my invention, attentionis directed to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which are Illustrative of my invention, Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a pressure reservoir; Fig. 2 is a sectional detail on an enlarged scale of a portion thereof;

Fig, 3 is a sectional view of a somewhat Sim-- pler form of cell, and Fig.4 shows an arrangement for getting rid of air in the contalner as it is being filled with oil.

Reservoirs of this character commonly have to be' located under ground in manholes and the like and are subjected to moisture and dirt most if not all of the time and may even be flooded with water. From the very nature of the work they generally must be located in relatively inaccessible places. A device of this character must work year in and year out without failure and without special attention, for should a serious failure occur, it would result in burning out one or more of the cables and the loss of very large sums of money, to say nothing of the serious injury to the system as a whole and the 10s to customers receiving current from the le. Thus it will depends upon what at first would seem to be a relatively simple device.

To meet the exacting requirements above indicated, an hermetically-sealed container is provided in which, is located a plurality of relatively small metallic cells each of which is complete in itself. Each cell has its own relatively small chamber which is hermetically sealed and contains an elastic fluid medium such asair or other gas and generallyunder a pressure which may be that of the A atmosphere or greater if desired. The chamcools is returned to it. The walls of the cells are made elastic so that they will yield inwardly when subjected to external pressure, the tendency to yield being, of course, opposed by the elastic medium within the chamber of each cell, said walls moving outwardly when the pressure of the surrounding liquid falls.

Since the container or casing is sealed airtight and since each cell is similarly sealed and the container piped directly to the 1nterior of the cable, it follows that no air can' enter the system nor can any of the oil escape. Also, that since the cells are compressible, they will compress or expand to accommodate varying quantities of oil, and since each cell wil expand as the oil pressure'drops they will force 011 back into the cable and prevent the formation of voids which are a source of real danger to the effective insulation of the electric coriductor.

Inasmuch as each cell, is a unit by, itself and is located in a sealed container, the cells need not be specially supported but can rest on one another. It is generally advisable, however, to so stack them in the container that they are held against sidewise as well as axial movements. Prior to introducing oil into the container, (it being assumed that the cable has been filled), it is necessary to get rid of the air and other gases therein. In practice a number of these reservoirs are connected to the cable sheath at suitable intervals and act to feed oil in parallel thereto or receive it in like manner therefrom as the-pressure in the sheath 'rises.

3 indicates a hermetically-sealed container which, if notv ca able of withstandin the pressures to whic it may be subjecte has an outside protective casing 4 whichis com- 'monly made of cast iron to ensure the necessary strength and to resist corrosion. As an illustration, but not as a limitation of my invention, the pressure of oil within the container may be as much as thirty pounds. The container may be made of copper, brass or other metal which is easily soldered or welded for the purpose of ensuring tight joints. The container comprises a fiat bottom wall 5 having an upturned peripheral edge 6, a cylindrical portion 7 and a cover 8, all of these various parts being united by brazing or soldering, the cover of course, being applied after the inner parts are assembled in place. Inside the container is a plurality of ele ments or cells each of whichis complete in itself. In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, each cell comprises an outer ring 9, Fig. 2, which is rabbeted or shouldered at 10 to receive a corresponding part of the adjacent ring and thus serve to center or hold the cells a ainst relative lateral displacement. The rings have internal shoulders 34 to receive the peripheral edges of a pair of imperforate diaphragms 11 which form two walls of the cell, in this case the top and bottom. As illustrated, the annular shoulders 34 form the rims for the cellular means and these are in turn supported by the rings 9. The rings are thicker than the shoulders and rest on one another so that the said means are held in fixed spaced relation with suitable clearance spaces between adjacent walls to permit of predetermined limited movements. The feature of combining the rimand ring in one piece is of substantial importance, because it simplifies the construction as a whole, reduces the cost of manufacture, and facilitates assembly thereof. The outer edges of the diaphragms are flanged at 12 and are held in place art ly by the anges and rings 13 and partly y means of soldered joints 14; which joints are, of course, annular. To render the diaphragms more flexible they vmay be concentrically cor rugated fora portion of their surface as indicated at 15. In each cell thus formed is a chamber 16 in which is confined a body of elastic fluid at whatever pressure-is required to meet the requirements of the service for which the reservoir is intended. Fluid under the desired pressure is admitted to the cell during the manufacturing operation, and the point of admission is subsequently sealed in any suitable manner. Situated in the bottom of the container is a ring 16, Fig. 1, which acts as a bottom support for the various cells and at the same time provides a space for oil. Between the top of the ring and the bottom of the adjacent cell is a flat plate 17 having one or more holes 18, usually a number to permit of free flowing of the oil, which register with other holes or openings 19 in the supporting rings. of the cells to afford a free circulation of the oil in the'container: It will be seen that the openings 19 are in free communication with the transverse spaces defined by the walls of two adjacent cells. After the cells or elements are completed they are assembled or stacked in the container one above another, after which the top plate 20 is applied and seated on the ring portion of the top cell. The plate limits the upward movement of the top wall of the upper cell when the pressure within the cell is substantially greater than the external oil pressure. The plate 17 performs the same office for the lower wall. of the bottom cell.

The outward movements of the walls of the intermediate cells are limited to a point where they contact one with the other as shown by the dotted lines 21 in Fig. 2. This is a particularly advantageous arrangement as it avoids the necessity of spacers or other distance pieces to prevent bursting.

Located abovethe top plate is a'ring22 ,which is shouldered on its underside to center the plate 29 and is itselfin contact with the vertical wall of the container. At the j top the ring is shouldered to receive the downwardly-turned flange 23 of the cover,8 and the former is secured in place by a soldered or welded joint 24. The oil in the con-' tainer fills all the space within its chamber not occupied by the cells and associated parts. The cubical contents of the container chainber can, of course, be made anything that is desired for the service intended, and the number and size of the cells made accordingly. The surroundin casing or shell for the container is close by the heavy cover 25 which is'securely held in place by bolts and nuts. 26 indicates a tube for conveying oil to and from the interior of the reservoir. One end of said tube passes through the top wall of the container and is soldered or otherwise united therewith to make a tight joint. The other end of the tube is connected to the interior of the imperforate metallic sheath or covering 27 of the high tension current-carrying cable 28, which cable may be of any suitable construction and may have one or more conductors, the details of which are not material to an understanding of the present invention. As it would be diflicult to sealthe tube to the cover of the casing after the parts are assembled, and because it would be diflicult to open and renew such joints, if necessary, a sleeve 29 is provided which is welded or soldered at 30 to the cover. The upper end of the sleeve is flared and it and the tube 26 are united by a wiped soldered joint or other means as indicated at 31.

On account of the fact that air must be excluded from the cable, it is necessary to get rid of the air in the chamber in the container before it is put in communication with the cable. This may be done in any'convenient or suitable way. For example, but not as a limitation of my invention, the tube 26 may be provided with an extension 32 beyond the point of connection to the cable and its outer end provided with a suitable fitting to receive the suction pipe of a "acuum pump. Between this point and the connection leading to the cable is a valve 33 of suitable c'onst ruction which may be opened when the pump is in use. \Vhen the valve is shut the pump connection may be removed andan oil supply pipe connected, after which the reservoir and tube or connection leading to the cable are filled with suitable oil by opening the valve. Subsequently, the valve will be closed and the parts suitably sealed. Another way 'to rid the container of air is to admit oil at the lowest part of the container by conduit 32 and permit the air to escape at the highest point by conduit 26 as indicated in Fig. 4, after which the connection is made between the container and cable sheath and either one or the otherof the conduits sealed. The resside of the cable; in other words, at any convenient point and as the oil ex ands or con tracts, will beautomatically fe into the res ervoir or delivered therefrom under suflieient pressure to force the oil back into the cable and prevent the formation of voids or pock ets. By varying the pressure of the elastic fluid confined within each cell. this pressure may be made large or small as desired. ,The

ervoir may be located above, below or at one fact that all parts of the reservoir are her- I metically sealed will revent the admission of air at any point and also the escapeof oil.

Since the cells-are enclosed in a hermetically-sealed container, if one of them is ruptured such fact cannot be readily determined and for that reason thecells should be carefully made and strong enough to withstand greater pressures than they would be subjected to in service. It is preferable to make the cells relatively smalland numerous so that should one of them fail for any cause, the effeet on the cable would be negligible.

In Fig. 3 is shown a simpler form of cell. It comprises two members 37 and 38, both of which have peripheral flanges arranged in telescopic relation so that one will fit inside the other. One of the flanges is flared out-. wardly at 40 to facilitate the union of the two members by solder or other means. The members are also concentrically corrugated to increase their flexibility. The region where each member merges into its peripheral flange is well rounded at 41 so that the strains due to bending of the members will not cause cracking of the metal. Each cell may be located in a two-part rin 42 which is slipped into place after the cell is completed. The ring has top and bottom flanges 43 which cover a limited portion of the cell and have Well rounded edges 44 to prevent injury to the top and bottom-walls of the cell as they move outwardly. The cells and their rings are so supported in the container that the rings rest on one another after the manner indicated in the other figures.

The walls of the cells are purposely made A thin so as to be as flexible as possible consistent with the service to be performed and hence offer only limited resistance to movement. The fact that the walls of the cells mutually support each other is of great importance, especially since the area of contact increases with increased pressure difl'erences. Assuming the container to be evacuated and the elastic fluid within the cells to be at atmospheric pressure there will be a force of approximately fifteen pounds per square inch tending to burst the same, and in this connection it must be remembered that the walls of these cells prevent substantial surface areas. This action is resisted by the top and bottom plates and by the walls of one cell contacting with those of adjacent cells.

The area ofone wall in contact with another gradually increases, of course, as the pressure within the container falls.

lVith a vacuum insidethe container, the 5 pressure of the atmosphere would tend to collapse it; but this action is balanced or practically so by the cells themselves which contain an elastic medium. the pressure of which is at least as great as that of the atmosphere. On the other hand, as the pressure of the oil in the container increases due to the heating thereof. by the action of' the electric current flowing in the high tension conductor, the walls of each of the several cells, will be forced inwardly until ttacy contact. The area of contact increases as the pressure within the container rises and the movements of the walls and the changes of contact area are facilitated by the corrugations therein. By reason of these corrugations the walls will return to their original shapes when per- 'mitted to do so due to the change of external pressure.

As the walls of each cell move inwardly, they permit greater amounts of oil to enter the container. Inother words, this action has the effect of increasing the cubical contents of the container. Conversely as the pressure in the container falls due to coolin 301 of the oil in the cable, the walls of the cells.

will distend and force oil back into the cable.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the container means and the cellular means both contain fluids which differ in kind, one being 35 oil and the other gas and further that one of said means receives fluid in varying amounts depending upon the temperature.

of the cable, while the fluid in theother remains constant in amount. By arranging the Darts in the manner described, the walls of.

the cellular means are protected against injury bothwhen expanded and contracted, due to changes of pressure conditions. By definitely positioning the cellular means so 46 that each is held in a fixed position against bodily movement at'its edges, as illustrated. each means will function independently of the others, according to the stifl'ness or characteristics of its walls until such time as they l0 contact with adjacent walls, as distinguished from the type of construction wherein the movements of one part are added to those of another part to produce an enlarged movement in an axial direction.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodimentthereof, but 00 I desire to have it understood that theapparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means. \Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. variable capacity reservoir comprisin a sealed container means, a plurality of individual cellular means located in the container means, each of which cellular means comprises a pair of thin metal disks united. at their eripheral edges'to define an internal chamber, said means being assembled flatwise to form a stack, means for holding the cellularmeans from side-wise movements in the container, said container means and cellu; lar means both containlng fluids WhlCh are separately maintained under pressure above the atmosphere, and a conduit for admittin fluid to and receiving it from one of sai means in varying amounts.

2. A varia 1e capacity reservoir comprising a sealed container means, a plurality of cellular means, each having a pair of flexible side walls, a ring means for each cellular means which forms a rim for the side Walls and also a support for holding saidmeans in fixed spaced relat on, said ring means rest- 1ng one on another, the contalner means and the cellular means both containing fluids which-are separately maintained under pressure, and a conduit for admitting fluid to one of said means in varying amounts.

3. A variable capacity reservoir comprising an hermetically sealed container containing fluid subjected to variations of pressure,

.independent chambered cells within the container which are completely surrounded by the fluid within the.container are arranged in a stack and contain fluid under pressure, the walls of the cells being corrugated and elastic to permit oi movements due to the difference of pressure between the fluid within the'chambers' of the cells and that in the con tainer, said walls being mutually supporting under certain pressure conditions, means for holding the cells in spaced stacked relation against bodily movement, and a conduit opening into the container through which fluid is admitted.

4. A variable capacity reservoir comprising an hermetically sealed container containing fluid under pressure, a plurality of stationary, independent chambered cells which have elasticwa'lls and are submerged within the fluid in the container. and contain fluid under pressure, which'fluid is separated from that in the container, annular means at the peripheries of the cells for holding them againstbodily movements and with clearance spaces between them, a passage for fluid opening into said clearance spaces, and a conduit opening into the container through which fluid is admitted.

5. A variable capacity reservoircomprising an hermetically sealed container containingfluid subjected to variations of pressure, a plurality of stationary, hermetically sealed, fluid-containing metal cells having elastic walls, which cells are submerged within the fluid in the container, said cells being aligned to form a stack, the fluid in each cell tending to push the walls apart against the action-of the fluid in the container, a means located at the peripheries of the cells for holding them in such stacked relation that the walls of adjacent cells mutually su port each other when expanded to a pre etermined extent, and a conduit which admits fluid to the con tainer.

6. A variable capacity reservoir comprising an hermetically sealed container containing fluid, and a plurality of fixed, hermeticall -sealed cells which are submerged in the uid in the container, said cells each comprising a rim and a pair of flexible metal walls secured thereto and adapted to move outwardly and inwardly in response to changes of pressure of the fluid within the container, annular'supporting means for the rims, said supporting means belng so ar-,

ranged one with respect to another and of such thickness, that the outward movements of the walls of one cell are limited by the corresponding movements of the walls of adjacent cells.

7. A variable capacity reservoir comprising an hermetically sealed container which is filled with fluid, aplurality of independent hermetically sealed cells which are submerged in the fluid, each cell containin an elastic fluid under a pressure above that o the atmosphere and havin elastic walls adapted to move outwardly and inwardl in response to changes of pressure of the fluld within the container, means located at the peripheries of the cells which hold them in spaced stacked relation and prevent independent bodily movements, and a fluid-carrying conduit opening into the container.

8. A variable capacity reservoir comprising an hermetically sealed container which is filled with oil, a plurality of hermeticall sealed cells which are submerged in the 011 ing a sealed container, aplurality of cel therein, each cell comprising a pair of flexible metal walls, and a ring means which forms the rim for the cell and also a support, the ring means acting to hold the cells in fixed spaced relation at their edges.

11. A variable capacity reservoir comprising a sealed container means, a plurality of cellular means located in the container means,

through which fluid in varying amounts flows into and from one of said means.

12. A variable capacity reservoir comprisular means arranged in a stack within the container,each of said means comprising a ring, and a pair of corrugated disks supported by the ring and defining between them a sealed chamber, the thickness of the rings being such that the walls of each cell can contact in the region of their centers when subjected to relatively high external pressure, and when subjected to relatively low external pressure can contact with those of adjacent cells to form a mutual support, and a conduit opening into the container through which liquid may flow into or out of the container.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of September, 1927.

LUIGI EMANUELI.

and adapted to move outwardly and inwardly in response to changes of pressure of the oil, each cell containing a fluid under pressure which is separately maintained from the oil,

and means located at the ends of the container which limit the outward movements of the walls of the adjacent end cells, the movements 50 of the walls of the remaining cells being limited by those of the adjacent cells.

9. A variable ea acity reservoir comprising a thin-walled ermetically sealed container for oil, a plurality of individual and 55 hermetically sealed, disk-like cells having 7 thin metal walls, which are submer d in the oil, each of the cells containin a' fl xed and predetermined amount of flui under pressure, the walls of said cells mutually sup closes and supports the container.

10. A variable capacity reservoir comprising an hermetically sealed container containing fluid, a plurality of cells which are located 66 in the container and surrounded by the fluid ortw each other, and an outer casing whic en 

